Spotlight on Graduates

From college and professional athletes to kid’s sports injuries, baby boomers and seniors staying fit, the demand for sports therapists is off the chain.

How close are you to jobs in Sports Therapy?

The number one ‘Best Thing!’ about having a Masters in Physical Therapy is after years of late night studying, tests, clinicals and boards, you finally get to practice. The number two best thing is your Masters paves the way for your doctorate – or maybe first a career in sport physical therapy.

Every time you see an NFL quarterback sacked or a college ‘b-baller’ hit the floor hard, somewhere a sports therapist secretly says: “Yes, more work for me!” Naturally you sense exaggeration here as we all know compassion is vital to the art. Nevertheless facts are facts. Whenever an athlete gets hurt playing sports; a physical therapist likely plays a role in healing.

About 38 million teens play organized sports in the U.S. each year. Of these, an average 3.5 million get hurt – sprains, strains, head, spine, neck and back – plenty of jobs in sports therapy here.

Think football leads the pack in promoting adolescent sports injuries? Guess again. Bicycling is number one with 275,000 yearly mishaps. Basketball follows second with 200,000 and football third with 194,000. Injuries on the trampoline, playing soccer and skateboarding rank four, five and six respectively.[1]

Sport Therapists for Adults

Fueling demand for sports physical therapy are millions of ‘just retired’ Americans exercising regularly. Alongside them are seniors living longer and being more active while doing it. This beckons the story of 105-year-old Isabel “Billie” Smith in Margate Florida who said the only reason she gave up swimming at the age of 99 was because of a hip injury. “I do miss it though,” she said.

The centurion maintains mobility through exercise classes with a licensed sports therapist.

What’s the Jobs Outlook for Sports Physical Therapy?

Sport therapy is expected to grow more than 27 percent through to 2018. Salaries are high and range around the $80,000 mark. The average yearly salary in 2009 was $74,000 and sports therapists working for professional sports teams commonly earned well over $100,000.

Physical Therapy Jobs on the Rise in the Wake of Recession

The demand for physical therapy jobs is increasing sharply. Factors include an aging population, shorter hospital stays, the shift to ambulatory care and an improvement in the survival rate of accident victims and newborns. Indirectly, the rise in life expectancy makes interventions in physical therapy even more relevant, since physical therapists improve the quality of life of the elderly for an increasing proportion of their life.

Want to learn more about careers in physical therapy, sport therapy or other allied health jobs? Looking for a permanent position, a travel therapy job or to practice in a skilled nursing facility or outpatient rehabilitation center? Call Travel Force at 800-617-0608 or apply online today!